#Letakan iklan disini
Football Jun 28, 2026

Ipswich Town: Gary O'Neil appointed new Tractor Boys manager ahead of Premier League return

👤
By Admin
Sports Journalist
Ipswich Town: Gary O'Neil appointed new Tractor Boys manager ahead of Premier League return

Gary O'Neil has been appointed as Ipswich's new manager.

O'Neil has been chosen to who left the club after guiding them back to the Premier League, citing a desire to spend more time with his family.

He has signed a three-year contract at Portman Road.

"It is an honour to be appointed manager of this great football club," O'Neil told the club's official website.

"I have followed the progress the club has made over the last few years closely and to now have the opportunity to lead Ipswich Town in the Premier League is something I am hugely excited by.

"There is a strong vision and ambition at this club and I am fully aware of the responsibility that brings, given how much it means to its supporters and to the community of Ipswich and Suffolk.

"We all know the challenge ahead as we prepare for the season together and I'm excited to meet everyone and get to work."

O'Neil was one of the top candidates to take the job following McKenna's resignation, along with former Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior.

O'Neil replaced Rosenior as Strasbourg head coach in January when the latter moved to Stamford Bridge, guiding the club to an eighth-place finish as they missed out on European qualification last season.

The 43-year-old made 51 appearances for Ipswich's archrivals Norwich between 2014 and 2016.

Ipswich boss Gary O'Neil speaking in his first press conference:

"There are a lot of similarities to how my teams have played and what Ipswich have done. We will find ways to be more adaptable, I think.

"I've obviously managed three teams now and they've all had a very similar style but to different degrees of how much we have the ball and how much risk we take. I'm willing to adapt certain things, but I have things that I won't adapt and that I'm very, very keen on. I want my teams to have the ball, I want us to express ourselves with the ball.

"But, it is the Premier League. There are some big hitters in it and there are some games that you have to adapt a bit and you try and be clever and you try and pick your moments. I think the real focus this year is let's get enough points. Let's get enough points. Let's still look like a good football team, let's be well coached, let's be together, let's be hard working.

"But come the end of the season, the only thing that most people are going to care about is how many points we put on the board."

Analysis from Your Site' Adam Williams:

Gary O'Neil arrives at Portman Road with a busy few weeks on his agenda before Sunderland come to town on Saturday August 22 for the Premier League season-opener.

Ipswich's squad needs bolstering, both in terms of depth and pedigree, for the top flight challenge ahead after experiences of two seasons ago. Despite a significant number of new arrivals that summer after back-to-back promotions from League One and the Championship, Kieran McKenna's side finished well below the line and second from bottom after only four wins all term.

O'Neil's experience at having to do similar tasks upon his arrival at both Bournemouth and Wolves, with considerably less of a transfer window available on both occasions, should give Ipswich fans optimism.

But there is no escaping that he will need a decent start from an opening set of fixtures that include a trip to Man Utd and Liverpool at home in their first three games, to not only give them a platform, but also to win over supporters who will still be lamenting McKenna's departure.

Pragmatism might not necessarily be that exciting in the first instance, but Ipswich will need plenty of it if they are to be competitive and have a fighting chance of survival.

August

22: Sunderland (h) - 3pm

29: Man Utd (a) - 3pm

September

5: Liverpool (h) - 3pm

12: Crystal Palace (a) - 3pm

19: Everton (a) - 3pm

Tags:

football news

Share this article

Related Posts

Sky Sports+ for EFL: Fixtures, channel and subscription - how to watch or stream your football team this season

Sky Sports+ for EFL: Fixtures, channel and subscription - how to watch or stream your football team this season

Here's everything you need to know about how to watch your EFL team throughout the 2026/27 season with Your Site or NOW. Every Championship, League On...

Alfred Johansson: New Motherwell manager confident Fir Park club can build on last season's success in Scottish Premiership

Alfred Johansson: New Motherwell manager confident Fir Park club can build on last season's success in Scottish Premiership

New Motherwell manager Alfred Johansson expects his team to continue performing the way they did last season under Jens Berthel Askou and build on tha...

Enzo Maresca to Manchester City: Italian's connections with club make this deal sensible - but can Pep Guardiola's replacement bring success?

Enzo Maresca to Manchester City: Italian's connections with club make this deal sensible - but can Pep Guardiola's replacement bring success?

One of Pep Guardiola's more memorable quotes from his time as Manchester City boss is "we cannot replace him." It was 2021 and a tearful Guardiola was...

Julian Alvarez: Atletico Madrid striker says he wants to leave club to 'fulfil his dream'

Julian Alvarez: Atletico Madrid striker says he wants to leave club to 'fulfil his dream'

Argentina forward Julian Alvarez has said he wants to leave Atletico Madrid to "fulfil his dream", which is understood to be a move to Barcelona.Arsen...

Enzo Maresca to Man City: Pep Guardiola's successor lined up as former Chelsea boss agrees to take over at Etihad Stadium

Enzo Maresca to Man City: Pep Guardiola's successor lined up as former Chelsea boss agrees to take over at Etihad Stadium

Manchester City are close to completing a deal to appoint Enzo Maresca as head coach on a three-year deal.An agreement has been reached with Chelsea o...

Ipswich transfers, latest news, rumours and gossip: Live updates, goals and highlights

Ipswich transfers, latest news, rumours and gossip: Live updates, goals and highlights

Como make 23m offer for ChalobahLatest from Sky in Italy's Gianluca Di Marzio:Como have made 23.3m offer to Chelsea for Trevoh Chalobah, according to&...